The Scar
by twitchy witch
Summary: So you want demon summoning advice, kid?  Let me tell you a little story...
1. Chapter 1

_I love Kim Harrison's world. But her characters will only make cameos here. So instead I write about the adventures of my Mary Sue. She's fun. She needs someone to match wits with, and since Algaliarept is busy with Rachel, I gave her another professional to deal with. Mwuhahaha. Rated M for violence, language and adult themes.  
Note (8/12/2010): Fixed some various formatting and grammatical errors. I've since found out from Kim herself (and her wonderful spoilers page) that demons **can** grab you if you are using your second sight in a ley line. So, um, oops? Also, my timeline's a bit off, turns out the Turn happened in the sixties, so this happened 40+ years ago. Too lazy to change it now!_

**The Scar**

**Prologue**

Yes, I know it's ninety five degrees in here. No, I am not turning up the AC. I like the heat. You wanted to talk to me, you can deal with it.

So, you're too polite to ask, but I know you're thinking it: what's the deal with the scar? I hate talking about it, but it's my choice not to hide it with a charm. I hide my _face_, yeah, but not the scar. I don't fucking care how my face looks, not anymore. Here's the short version: A demon gave it to me.

The long version? Well, I'm at peace with it, as much as I can be, anyway. And if I can keep you from making the same idiot mistakes I made then I'll tell you. But it took a shitload of therapy to get to this point, just so you know. I don't tell this story to just _anyone_. But, no offense, you're the bonehead who wants demon summoning advice, so you're going to get the full lecture.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part One: Standing in Ley Lines, Never a Good Idea**

_Yesterday, upon the stair,  
I met a man who wasn't there  
He wasn't there again today__  
I wish, I wish he'd go away..._

_ - Hughes Mearns, _Antigonish

I was sixteen when we summoned Ash. I admit it, it was a really, _really_ stupid idea. But we were teenagers. We knew everything. We were top in our class, we knew we could handle it. And we were bored. Intelligent kids who are bored, and drunk on their own cleverness, can get themselves into a boatload of trouble.

It was before the Turn, by about fifteen years, when it was still all the rage in young rebellious witch circles to hike out into the woods and draw up the pentagrams, build the bonfires, and generally pretend to raise hell. We'd break out the cauldrons and try to mix up advanced spells which nobody had the guts to actually try. We'd practice tapping the ley lines and standing in them using our second sight, daring each other to see who had the guts to stick it out longest. And we dressed in black robes, and we'd write and recite emo poetry. In short, typical teen shit. It pissed off the fundamentalists, not to mention our parents; that was motive enough.

Aw, did I hit a nerve? Sorry, kid. You're not the first teenager ever to walk the earth, you know. Nice piercings, though. Very edgy.

Anyway, about the standing in ley lines thing. It's generally safe, though they're the threads that connected reality to the Ever After. While the infernal inhabitants thereof can easily see reality through their own second sight, just as you can peer into their twisted shadow world, it's when you both stand in lines that you can actually talk to them.

Nobody told us that. The Ever After was still a taboo subject, the stuff of nightmares and fairy tales and a whole hell of a lot of misinformation. "Don't stand in ley lines, you never know what you'll see," was all the warning we got. And yeah, everyone knew if you stayed tapped into a line long enough, you went stark raving mad. They discouraged us from tapping in and gawking at the demon world. But they never mentioned the demons might come out and gawk back.

Probably because anyone dumb enough to tangle with demons usually ends up disappearing shortly thereafter. Or very, very messily dead, sooner or later.

So it was while standing in a line that my buddy Red saw a man who wasn't there, and struck up a conversation. We didn't notice at first, because Greg was trying to talk Judy into a power pull, and Judy was being a tease. And Toby was busily playing with the line himself, seeing how much he could hold. Toby was testing a theory, though it was more just an excuse to get high. Toby was heavy into Brimstone those days.

I was reading a book by the flickering light of the campfire. I did a lot of reading. I was the nerd of the group, and wrote the shittiest poetry. This book was about various types of circles. I was determined to be good someday- like, training yourself to set a circle with just a trigger word, without all the candles and the latin prepwork, for example. I'd already drawn the circle and placed the candles, to practice the basics later (and maybe trap Greg with Judy in there if I could, just for a laugh).

"Evie, who's Red talking to?" Judy asked suddenly.

I looked over, saw Red chatting to the empty air. We called his name a few times, heard him explain to air that his buddies were calling him. Red, I probably should have mentioned, was also high as a kite. Worse than Toby, because he wasn't a regular user and had taken too much. OK, so maybe we were all a little high. Did I mention the whole "pissing off our parents" aspect of our campouts? Human kids sneak cigarettes, booze, and porn; we snuck out Brimstone, our parents' little black arts books, and various, shall we say, adult-oriented potions and amulets.

Little public service message to all you kids out there. Drugs and demon summoning? Don't mix.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 2: Will you walk into my parlor?**

_The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,  
And I have many curious things to show when you are there._

_-Mary Howitt, The Spider and the Fly_

"He says 'hi,'" Red reported.

"Who?"

"Um." Red turned back to the empty air. "Says his name's…um, what? Ashma..." (pause) "Ashamo" (longer pause) "…Asthma…? Fuck, man, I can't say it." He paused again, listened, jiggling his leg impatiently (that was Brimstone for you, upped your metabolism, kept you awake all night and well into the daytime, gave you one hell of a hangover if you didn't eat enough to keep up). "Ash. Says his name's Ash."

"Is he a ghost, or what?" Judy asked, pausing in her necking with Greg. "Ooh! Can we exorcise him? Always wanted to try an exorcism!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. When she was high, Judy had a real mean streak to her. Judy loved animals. Judy on Brimstone could carve out a rabbit's eyes without flinching, if that's what the potion called for. I didn't like her, but I did like Greg OK, and Greg brought Judy along in eternal hopes of scoring big one night. As long as rabbits weren't involved, I could deal with her.

"No, says he's a demon."

That got our attention. I dropped the book. Greg and Judy paused in their make-out session, and poor Toby shrieked as he lost control of the line and the backflow bitchslapped his chi. He let it go, shaking his head, and said, "You're shitting us."

"Doesn't look like one, though. Don't you guys all have horns and like, forked tongues?" Another pause, and Red burst out laughing.

I made my way over to where he stood, insisting he was hallucinating, because that's what happened when you let Toby cut your Brimstone with shrooms. Again. But his eyes remained fixed on a point about ten feet away. A brief glance with my second sight showed me the smear of the ley line before me, and that Red was smack dab in the middle of it.

"Says you need to come into the line," Red said, and curiosity made me do it.

With my eyes closed, second sight engaged, I stepped into the line and felt the icy-hot tingle surround me. Lines are funny- you can walk through one and never know it, but if you're just the slightest bit tuned in you can't miss them, and every one has a different, I dunno, resonance or something. Ever felt that? No? Yeah, I guess not, nobody ever seems to know what the hell I'm talking about.

I saw a nondescript man standing where Red's gaze fell. He was tall, slender, and dressed in an out-of-date suit. He was missing a hat, and his short wavy hair blew about him in the strong wind that was always scouring the surface of the Ever After. He was smiling, a friendly, harmless, disarming smile. There was absolutely nothing that screamed "demon" about him. He looked like a well-to-do, slightly nerdy businessman who sold, I don't know, life insurance for a living. Funny to see him out here, in the godforsaken crooked woods of the Ever After. That incongruity alone should have clued me in right away.

What? Don't they have horns? Who knows? Nobody knows what they really look like. Maybe even _they_ don't know what they really look like. When you can look like anything you want, maybe you forget. They're usually people-shaped, though. Usually pretty people, because they're vain as hell.

"You may call me Ash," he said politely, bowing a little. "And your name, love?"

"Evie," I said.

"Just Evie? Short for Evelyn, perhaps? Or Eve?"

Sure, it sounds like an innocent enough question, but you know the three rules of survival in the witch world. Don't give away locks of hair, don't work magic without your protective circle, and _especially_ don't tell your real name to someone who may or may not be a diabolical master of darkness.

Oh, and the fourth rule, don't tell the humans what you are, but that kind of went without saying back then.

"Could be," I replied politely. "So, uh, what are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you all the same question," he replied, as the others joined into the conversation, and it all went downhill from there.

So another little public service message to you kids out there. Demons exist. Stand in a line too long, and they'll home in on your ass like you're a fresh baked brownie, and have a nice chat. And they look normal, and they act normal. Until they _don't_. Do yourself a favor and don't even let them get the first word in.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 3: Breadcrumbs and Gingerbread Houses**

It's humiliating to look back and see how he played us. He was charming, flattering, funny…_ordinary_. But his knowledge…it was vast. Ash knew everything about everything. He dropped tidbits like breadcrumbs, and of course we ate it all up. And he wasn't troubled with little things like "our own good," either. Soon our trips to the woods became productive, and we came back with amulets that did amazing things. Amazing to a teenager, anyway. It was all shit you can learn in college today, but to us it was pure gold. Forbidden knowledge.

None of this was free, by the way. We brought him stuff in exchange. Inconsequential stuff, like various spell ingredients one couldn't come by in the Ever After. And gossip, current events, rumors about people we knew. Ash loved getting all the gossip about the people in power, but he was even more amused when we playfully ratted on each other. No harm, no foul, right? No, he never asked for anything we had a qualm about giving, though I'm sure he could have and we'd have done it after a momentary wrestle with our conscience.

He was amazingly patient. The secret meetings went on for the better part of a summer. He waited until _we_ got impatient with the pace of our progress. He knew us in and out by then, our strengths and weaknesses as well as what motivated us. For example, he taught Greg a ley line sex technique on the sly that pretty much assured that Judy would never be dissatisfied with him again. He taught Toby some Brimstone refining techniques that earned the kid some serious cash that summer, as well as a wonderful endless buzz.

Me? I leaned ley line magic. I had a talent for it. I'd say I jumped ahead a few years with the tips and tricks he taught me, and never noticed the satisfied gleam in his red eyes.

He was training us. Ash is a professional. He's been at this for over five thousand years.

"This would be so much easier," Ash commented one day in an offhand tone of voice, "if I could just show you directly. But you'll just have to muddle through, I can't do anything more on this side of the lines."

The seed was planted.

Now, all this time he never let us forget that he was, in fact, a demon. He did it in a very self-effacing sort of way, kinda half joking. Like, "Pay attention, or I'll have your entrails for garlands this Solstice," or the always amusing, "I could tell you, but then I'd have to devour your soul." Ha ha ha.

He even warned us ahead of time, as we told him we wanted to summon him across the lines. "Be careful, I'm a dangerous monster, you know. Set your circle perfectly. One false rune, and I'll get you, and your little dog, too." Ha ha ha.

God, we were stupid. At least we weren't so stupid as to trust him completely. It was one thing to chat with a demon when they couldn't actually get you. It was another to bring one over to your reality. No, we'd play it safe, we'd make the circle tighter than Alcatraz, all of us working together, and then we'd summon him, and make an airtight bargain, and maybe let him out if we really had the guts.

Everyone knows the summoning rules. Demons can't come over without an invitation. When you've got 'em in your circle, demons can't lie, and they can't break their word. They vanish at sunrise so you can only summon them at night.

Why? I've since found out that the Reigning Head Honcho of the demons, someone called Newt (yeah, like "eye of newt," ha ha) says so. And even if you're a six thousand year old immortal all-powerful demon, you _don't_ want to piss off Newt. As for the sunrise thing, I never found out why. They just go poof when the sun comes up.

So we proposed summoning him for real. Ash explained that summoning names were serious business- demons can't resist a real summoning, see, and if you summon them without warning them first, especially if they're in the middle of something, they get real pissed off. Not to mention they're not real happy to be trapped in circles at the whims of lesser beings, either. So he'd only tell one of us. If that person told anyone else, well, he'd have to steal his or her soul then, wouldn't he, ha ha ha.

Oh, and that person would have to owe him a favor. He picked me first, but I wasn't nearly tempted enough to owe him some unknown favor. What if it was something illegal? Or worse, something _gross_? He shrugged, and offered this dubious privilege to Judy, instead. Yeah, he knew it would rankle me, and it did, especially when the girl accepted without question. This was the girl who could carve out rabbit eyes, after all.

Looking back, it was this one little separation, the singling out of Judy, that broke us in the end. The boys were jealous. I was weirded out. Judy became the teacher's pet.

She might still be, for all I know. I don't like to think about it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part four: The apple of discord**

"_To the Fairest."  
-Eris's apple_

So Ash took Judy off for a private discussion and the rest of us left the line to prepare. She talked with him, alone, for a _very_ long time.

And when she came back, there was a_ very_ satisfied gleam in her eyes.

Well, we did it. He appeared in the flesh, looking proud as peaches of his little band of star pupils. That first night he called Judy into the circle with him, and damned if she didn't try to chicken out. It was the first time we saw Ash get really mad. But even then he reigned it in- simply scolded and shamed the hell out of her, even when by all rights he could have laid claim to her soul then and there for backing out of an agreement. And eventually she steeled herself enough to do it. We put the circle right back up again when she went in, nearly pissing herself, and he drew a little circle-slash mark on her upper arm, and that was it. A demon mark, he explained, simply a magical sign of a favor owed, which would vanish when she repaid him. Then he patted her head and let her out again, and we all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

It wasn't just _her _he wanted, after all.

And yeah, there were a few details he left out about demon marks, like the fact that anyone can see the smut on your aura from a mile away, and demons can use them to track you down, anywhere. Among other things. But that doesn't really figure into the story.

We were all real full of ourselves, I tell you what. Our little group dynamic changed after that, though. Toby and Red were insufferably cocky, and Greg and Judy started fighting and broke up. Judy took up with Toby for awhile after that, leaving Greg to simmer with sullen jealousy and wounded pride. He asked me out once, and I turned him down, even when he reminded me of his demon-taught sex skills. Please. I had a big falling out with Judy over that, not that it was any of her fucking business why Greg had asked me out, especially after _she'd _dumped _him_. Greg didn't speak to me for a week.

It turns out Judy had been going to see Ash on her own nearly every night after the summoning, Ash informed me later. Greg had kinda freaked out on her over it. Judy was crushing hard on Ash, it was pretty clear to all of us by then. But then it turns out that Greg started going to Ash on his own as well, mostly to get the dish on Judy. A few weeks later they reconciled. This, I learned later, was due to Ash playing the benevolent couples counselor. Nothing united two people better than a common enemy, he joked to me later, as Greg and Judy smiled sweetly at each other. Ha ha ha.

Yeah, I assumed he meant _himself _at the time, too. But Judy got a case of the green-eyed monster whenever she saw Ash talking to me, and Ash was always giving me some private little trick or hint or advice. Perfectly innocent. All right, maybe not so innocent. Fuck, if I'm really honest with myself, I'd say I might have had a bit of a crush on him too. One thing Ash is good at? Making a girl feel special. Unique.

But when Toby started giving us all the cold shoulder, too, after Judy'd dumped him again for Greg, well, things got a bit odd. Turns out he'd been to see Ash alone once or twice, too. That was all it took. But he insisted on coming to the campfire sessions. As did I, even though Judy still glared daggers at me behind Greg's back. Greg still smarted with my rejection of him, I could tell. Red must have gotten some alone time in, too, thoroughly addicted to Ash and his magic. For my part, I just couldn't be comfortable with the idea of seeing Ash all by myself. Chicken. Heh. It wouldn't have made a difference, not really, he'd have found another way.

We decided we were going to summon him again. He'd promised he would teach us an astounding technique only known to demonkind if we did. He swore us all to secrecy before describing it. It was something he called "spindling." Can't go into details, but the way he told it, it sounded pretty much like a way to buff up your _chi_. It sounded _awesome_.

Life lesson number three, kid: If it sounds too good to be true? Run.


	6. Chapter 6

**Part five: The Big Reveal**

_**Stegosaurus:**__ Yes. Yes, this is a fertile land, and we will thrive. We will rule over all this land, and we will call it... "This Land."  
**Allosaurus:**__ I think we should call it…"your grave!"  
**Stegosaurus:**__ Ah, curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!_

_ -Wash's toys, Firefly_

We set the circle carefully. We each sat at our appointed positions. Judy said the Latin invocation, and Ash slowly coalesced dramatically out of smoke. He'd dressed up for the occasion, wearing what looked like graduation robes, a dorky little hexagon beanie on his head compete with tassel. And glasses, I'll never forget those stupid little glasses. He looked like a nerdy college professor. Enough with the kid spells, he said, we were graduating today! Ha ha ha.

We all laughed nervously, because we were going to really do it today, really let him out. Unleash him on the world, trusting only our superior bargaining skills to keep him in check. Ash had us so wrapped around his finger that we didn't even consider the real consequences of failure. After all, he was so _reasonable_. He looked like your friend's dad, and you don't expect your friend's dad to go postal on you.

So here's how it went down. See if you can spot where we went wrong:

"And do you each have what I asked for?" he asked us.

The others nodded. I blanched. He hadn't asked _me_ for anything.

"Excellent. So we are agreed. In return, I will teach you all how to spindle ley line energy."

They nodded again, and my mouth went dry. I tried to speak, and nothing came out.

Ash bobbed onto his toes and back down, looking happy. "Wonderful! And you have my solemn word I will not harm you once I have what you promised in my possession. I will return directly to the ever after once the bargain is concluded."

I felt my heart beating in panic. "Um, Ash," I managed, and he turned to me, head tilted with concern.

"Yes, Evie?"

"I, um…I don't…" I stammered.

"Are you backing out of the agreement?" he asked me, fixing me with an intense red-eyed stare.

Didn't I mention that before? Ash's eyes are red. They all have red eyes. Orange-red, with freaky slit pupils like a goat's. It's real disconcerting to have his full attention on you. It's fucking terrifying if he's looking annoyed with you, too.

"No, I…agreement? But I don't have-"

"You didn't bring me anything?" He folded his arms, looking displeased. "You called me over here and have nothing to give me?"

The others were staring at me in a mix of disbelief and growing anger. "But you didn't-"

"Child, this isn't a game. Chatting in a line is one thing, but I pay a serious price every time I travel the lines," he interrupted, sounding disappointed and really annoyed. "I'm afraid I shall have to call this off,"

The others erupted into a chorus of "Hey!" and "Wait!" and "Not fair!" and various curses flung my way. I was freaked out at the inconceivable turn events had taken- how did they all know something I didn't?

"Hmm." Ash appeared to reconsider. "If you want to stay, you'll have to take a mark, love."

I shook my head no, panic making my head spin. _ Want_ to stay? It's not like I could just up and _leave_. I was part of the circle. If I left, the circle would fall. He'd be out.

"Just take the mark, you stupid bitch, it's no big deal!" Judy snapped at me, furious. "It doesn't even hurt. Just do it!" And suddenly the chorus of "Get over it!" and "Just get the damned mark, Evie!" rang out all around me. Of course they were pissed off. We'd been planning this for weeks.

I was trapped, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. I stared at Ash helplessly. He stared back, unmoved, as if he hadn't planned this all. I knew the son of a bitch was smirking inside as he made me look like a total bimbo who'd _forget_ a promise to a _demon_, for Christ's sake. My only choice was to take the mark, or sit here and hold the circle until dawn. Which I couldn't do without the others' cooperation. Which they wouldn't give, because according to the terms of the deal, they'd be safe. I was the one who'd get screwed.

"For fuck's sake, Evie, come on," Red said. "Agree to take the stupid mark so we can get on with it!"

"Forget it," Judy snapped, and her face twisted into a ugly expression. Yeah, Ash had worked her over good, and she _hated_ me. "Ash, we're speaking for her. Give her your fucking mark so we're all safe, and we'll all learn the spell, like you said."

Ash, still looking concerned, turned to address the group. "Do you all agree to this?" he asked sternly.

"_I_ don't!" I protested, but the others were nodding.

"Very well," Ash said. "Majority rules. The bargain is struck."

I protested. I pleaded. I wanted out of this whole thing, now.

Judy stood up. "Evie…? Shut. The Hell. Up." And very deliberately, she scratched her toe across the line of salt, breaking the circle.

I sat frozen, staring at her in shock. The stink of the Ever After rolled over us. It's pretty bad, like…not sure how to describe it. Burnt, mostly, acrid like burning hair, but with this weird underlying sweetness, like wood ashes or incense. I don't know if it's them or the magic they use, but they all stink of it.

Ash was smiling benevolently. "My dear children," he said, spreading his arms as if for a big group hug, "I'm so very proud of you."

We all stood up. What could I do, run? Outrun a demon? I was trapped. I was screwed. Things had gone way wrong and if all I ended up with was a demon mark, I'd consider myself lucky. The worst thing was, nobody else seemed to get it. They just looked excited.

Ash stretched like a cat, cracked his knuckles, then flung his head back and took several deep breaths of the warm midnight forest air, eyes closed. "I love your world. Feel that warm breeze, smell all those beautiful, clean scents," he murmured in appreciation. "A pity one doesn't learn to appreciate such things until they're beyond your reach."

The rest of us shifted uncertainly. Ash lowered his head and opened his eyes. Something about him had subtly shifted. Even in the dorky robes and glasses, suddenly he didn't look so harmless anymore. The air fairly crackled as he tapped the line behind us. "So take a last look around, children. It's the last chance you'll get." He released the energy and we all flinched, but the effects of his spell weren't obvious just yet.

"But…you promised you wouldn't do anything to hurt us," Judy gasped, all the color draining from her face. "You promised!"

"I believe you modified the original agreement, sweet. _Give her your fucking mark so we're all safe, and we'll all learn the spell_," Ash repeated, imitating her. He looked me up and down with a hungry expression that made me die a little inside. "Well, look at her. Do _you_ see a mark on her yet?"

"You said…you said you'd teach us…you _lied_!" she protested.

"I didn't lie, I _will _teach you," he promised. "Here's your first lesson, Judith Marie Kincaide. Hold this for me." And then Ash did something to Judy that had her down on the ground, screaming in agony.

Yeah, now you see it. Fucking impatient Judy. Poor, stupid, stupid kid. I hope she's dead now, I really, really do. That's me being _forgiving_, right there, by the way.

Fourth lesson, kid: if it looks like a demon is going to catch you? Off yourself if you can. I'm not even remotely kidding.

Excuse me a moment. This next bit isn't easy to talk about.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part Six:** **The Most Dangerous Game**

_"Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong. Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why should I not?."'_

_ - General Zaroff_, The Most Dangerous Game

Things got a bit confusing after that. Greg and Red started running, and Toby just stood there, gawking. I'm afraid I took off running, too, without a thought to Judy or the others.

It didn't take long to figure out what Ash had done with that first spell. The forest was now somehow smaller. No matter where I ran, I couldn't find the path out. And no matter where I headed, the screaming never got any further away. He'd trapped us in the forest somehow before his dramatic reveal, and now he would hunt us down at his leisure.

The screams trailed off into sobs, and I heard Ash saying something to Judy. I heard Judy wail something in return. Then I heard nothing.

Guilt struck me hard in the face. Had he killed her? I'd never been so terrified in my life, but nevertheless I just couldn't get the thought out of my head that I should've tried to help her somehow. Even if she was a bitch, she didn't deserve to _die_.

But when I crept back to the clearing, with the idea that maybe, just maybe, I might come up with an idea once I saw the situation…Ash and Judy were nowhere to be seen. Just burning candles around a circle of salt.

And Toby, still frozen in place. "Oh shit. Ohshitoshitoshit," he repeated. He'd wet himself. I tried to attract his attention, but he was beyond anyone's reach now. "He took her. Oh shit."

_Run, you idiot!_ I thought at him, but he just stood there as Ash coalesced before him in a swirl of robes, took his unresisting arm, steered him a few steps away into the line, and vanished with him.

No, he wasn't out to _kill _us, he was going to drag us all off to the Ever After.

I ordered myself to get a grip and think. Running was out. Ash had trapped us good, that was clear. Even as I watched, Red stumbled back into the clearing, reeling and dazed. A tree branch must have whacked him and blood ran from a cut on his scalp. He stumbled across the expanse, knocked over a candle, and vanished back into the woods again.

Ash reappeared, eyes alive with a fierce triumph. He was enjoying this. "Two down," he said to himself, and slowly scanned the clearing, listening. I could hear the crashing sounds of Red and Greg somewhere out there. Ash's eyes scanned right past the bushes I hid behind, and he took a long breath. He bent and brushed a finger through the grass, lifting it to his lips. Blood. Red's blood. He smiled wickedly and vanished, smoke tendrils curling toward where Red had stumbled into the woods before they, too, vanished.

It was only a matter of time before he picked us all off. My eyes fell on the circle. It was my only chance. If I could get inside it, raise it…

I took a deep, panicked breath and dashed forward. With trembling hands I repaired the broken salt line. After a moment's thought, I grabbed the pocketknife from my belt and cut my finger, rather badly. Still have the scar, right here. But it was blood I wanted. I dripped my blood on the salt, tying it to me now. Finished with that task, I righted the candle and closed my eyes, drawing on the ley line for the power I needed. It didn't help my concentration that I could now hear one of the boys screaming in the distance. Red, I thought. The agonized sounds ceased. Three down.

Last life lesson, kid: Learn to set an instant circle with a trigger word. If you're stupid enough to summon a demon, your life may depend on it. Those were the longest five minutes of my life.

The circle rose before me, shimmering, just as Greg gave a pained shout that ended abruptly. I deflated. Greg was doomed, now, too. I focused on the circle that just might save my ass. I knew it was sound, and built properly, but was it strong enough? Or rather, was I strong enough to hold a circle meant for five, all by myself? If I couldn't, it'd cost me my soul, my sanity, and…I couldn't even conceive what else might happen, but it wouldn't be pleasant. They ain't called 'demons' because they're cute and cuddly, after all.

"Well, now, aren't you the resourceful little witch." Ash had Greg over his shoulder like a sack of grain, and was moseying over to my circle looking flushed and pleased. "Very nice," he added, and poked at it with a finger. It held. For the moment.

I said nothing. What was there to say? What did you say to someone who had betrayed you so utterly?

Greg moved a little, but it was clear that he was hurting too much to struggle in earnest. Ash dropped him heavily onto the ground before the circle and he groaned. My eyes followed him for a moment, but it was Ash who had all of my attention.

Ash made a slow circuit of my circle, probing it here and there. Greg made an attempt to rise at one point, and Ash leisurely strolled over and kicked him in the face before returning to his slow testing of my circle. When he was finished, he sat down in a chair that hadn't been there before, and deliberately put his boots on Greg's prone form as if he were nothing more than an ottoman. The shift in his behavior was absolutely horrifying. He sipped a glass of wine that appeared out of nowhere and contemplated me thoughtfully.

Yeah, I'm going to tell you exactly what he said, near as I can remember it. You need to know what you're dealing with. What _really _happens to the witches- and humans- that they kidnap.

And keep your mitts off my scotch, it's not for you.


	8. Chapter 8

**Part Seven: What Happens.**

_**Simon:**__ What happens if they board us?  
**Zoë:**__ If they take the ship, they will rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing. And if we're very, very lucky…they'll do it in that order._

- Firefly, "_Serenity_"

"Now, now, Evie, this won't do. I already have a buyer lined up for you. It's rude to keep him waiting. Be a dear and drop your circle, would you?"

I was just to overcome to speak. All I could do was shake my head.

"Really, Evie," he said, taking off his glasses to clean them on his robe. There'd been a spatter of blood on one of the lenses. "Sunrise is hours away. We both know you don't have the stamina to keep this up all night. And the longer you do, the more displeased I will be," he added, replacing his glasses and looking at me sternly. "I'm in a fine mood now. You wouldn't like it if I really got angry. Drop the circle."

"No."

Ash sighed, but it was totally an act. I could see he wasn't disappointed at all. No, he was totally getting off on this. "Perhaps you don't yet understand," he said reasonably. "You're_ mine_, love. There's nowhere to go. And it's just _so _much easier on you if you cooperate. Learning to spindle line energy is an important part of your education. It's also a most effective form of punishment. But if you don't resist, it only hurts the first time." The last was said a little mockingly, and I died a little more inside at the clear innuendo.

"W-why are you doing this?" I asked. "What…what are you going to…?"

Ash beamed. "Why? Because young witches are so usefully gullible, easily trained up, and you're a talented little bunch. Well, except this one, here, he's sub-par." He gave Greg a nudge with his boot. "You, on the other hand, will make a _very_ fine familiar."

See? That explains why he'd spent so much time teaching us ley line stuff. Yeah, I'm sure you know about familiars. A familiar is a tool. Always an animal. They filter the lines, they're bound for life to their witches, they take the payment for the spells, they die if you fuck up. The kind of spells that would need a sentient being to be on the other end…I couldn't even comprehend it. It was evil. _Demonic._

"_Familiar_…? You use _people…? A_s _familiars_…?"

"Mmm," Ash agreed, sipping his wine. "It's not so bad, once you lose your soul. You get used to it. And you'll get to live for centuries, won't that be nice?"

Yeah, _nice_. I gaped at him, open mouthed, speechless with horror.

"Now drop your circle, dove, and I'll make it as painless as possible. I'm quite fond of you, you know. Resourceful, quick study, not to mention the only one of you who didn't bore me with the constant soap opera of your lives. Just _look_ at you, building a nice sturdy circle at such a time. Why, you're not even begging me to spare you- shows a fine strength of mind. Innate talent for ley lines, promising with earth charms, and attractive to boot." He leered wickedly at me. "Virgin, too, that's always a good selling point."

There was no fucking way I'd drop this circle now, that was for damn sure. I wish I could say I flung a clever retort back at him, but the truth was that I was sobbing with terror.

"No?" Ash flicked his wrist and his glass vanished. "Well, then, let's see, what else can I do to convince you?" He gaze dropped to Greg, and I squeezed my eyes shut. The threat was obvious.

"E-Evie…?" Greg mumbled as Ash rose from his chair, which dissolved into smoke.

"She's here, Greg, but she won't be a good girl and come home with us," Ash said. "So do you know what I'm going to do?"

"God…" Greg rasped, hunched in on himself. "Please, Jesus…"

"I'm going to have to hurt you rather a lot, Greg. No hard feelings?"

The sound of Greg's agony ripped through me. I could guess now what Ash was doing. Ley line energy hurts like a bitch when it overflows your_ chi_. Witches can overload accidentally, everyone does it sooner or later. This is worse. Much, much worse.

I begged Ash to stop. But of course I knew it wasn't going to stop. Ash would torture him until I gave in.

Yeah, I don't want to go into the details. Suffice it to say, I didn't give in. An hour or two went by. Ash got more and more creative. When Greg was unable to channel energy any longer, Ash began to torture us both mentally. He laid the blame for all this at my feet, elaborating elegantly how I'd betrayed us all until Greg cursed me himself and nearly fried himself trying to break into my circle. Ash switched to physical torture after that, until Greg couldn't even scream any more, just lay there bleeding and making hoarse, pained gasps. The worst thing was, Ash kept healing Greg after each round. You ever see someone disemboweled before? Trust me, you don't want to, especially if it's a friend of yours. Greg had given up pleading with me by then and seemed resigned to his fate, begging Ash to just end it.

Ash gave up, eventually. He was fastidiously wiping his hands and his glasses on a white handkerchief when I finally looked up. Greg was covered in blood, drenched in it. Our tortured gazes met. You've never seen that kind of horror in someone's eyes. And then he was just…gone. I never saw him- or any of them- again.

It's been over thirty years and I still have nightmares about it. Give me another moment. I need another drink.


	9. Chapter 9

**Part Eight: Impersonations**

_His legs were twisted akimbo, skinny shoulders slumped and bare, carrying red-rimmed scratches that held crusted blood. The slack-jawed face staring back at me was mine, but it was blank and empty, the red stringy curls lank. It was the eyes that were the worst—demon-red, goat-slitted orbs staring at me from my own face.  
_

_I hated it when he showed up as me._

_ -Rachel Morgan, _The Outlaw Demon Wails

"That was getting tiresome," Ash said. He went back to prowling around my circle, but it was still going strong. I remember feeling shocked that I could still hold it all by myself, but we had made it tough enough to hold a demon in. The line I was connected to still hummed gently through me. I'd never been connected to a line for so long, and I still had a long time to go before the sun rose. It was starting to make me light-headed. Ley lines could drive you mad, I remembered, but better insanity than magical servitude.

He went into his next act: impersonations. He started morphing into various people I knew, people I loved, and saying the most dreadful things he could think of. All of my loved ones paraded before my eyes, condemning me, mocking me, threatening me, making references that Ash could only have learned from my friends. The parents of my friends made their appearance, blaming me for the loss of their beloved children, vowing vengeance. He was good, and I was sucked emotionally dry by the end of it, overcome with bleak despair and black depression. I was already damned, even if I survived I'd be shunned by everyone, nobody would ever forgive me, so why not just make it permanent?

I still held out. Ash folded his arms, commenting grudgingly, "You're a tough little bitch, aren't you? Four is an acceptable catch, I suppose. A good night's work." He vanished into a puff of smoke.

And stayed gone.

Was he really gone? Gee, you _think_? Would _you_ have dropped that circle?

Hell, no, he wasn't gone. I was waiting for dawn. No way in hell I'd drop my circle before I saw the fucking sun for myself.

The hours crept slowly by, and he didn't reappear. He was waiting me out. Nobody can maintain that level of vigilance and adrenaline for hours at a time. I felt exhaustion creeping in. You have to be conscious to control a circle of protection. If I fell asleep, I'd wake up in the Ever After, wrapped up in a bow and sold to the highest bidder.

I fought off sleep, pinching myself, slapping my face, at one point resorting to cutting my thigh with my own knife to stay awake. Just a little longer. I would've given anything for Tony's damned Brimstone, hangover or not. The energy from the line was getting uncomfortable, sort of a background buzz that was getting louder and louder, making me itch to move and dulling my senses at the same time. I tried a few spells to use up the extra power, but each time the buzz came back, stronger than before.

The sky had just begun to show a hint of grey. Then I heard someone calling my name. Me and my friends. But it wasn't Ash's voice. It was my father, maybe other parents, searching for us. I was so fucking relieved, I nearly dropped my circle then and there to run to Daddy's side.

But then I remembered the sun. Was it dawn yet? I couldn't tell. I kept quiet. If Ash was still around, he could easily attack anyone in the area. I didn't think I could bear it if he tortured my dad in front of me, too.

My father stepped into the clearing, saw me, and rushed forward with shock and concern on his face. "Evie! There you are—" he broke off and took stock of me: dirty, bloody, tracks of tears and sweat on my face. And also took note of the fact that I sat _inside_ a demon summoning circle. "Evie, what the hell is going on?"

"Dad," I croaked, beginning to sob again. "You have to get out of here. He'll come back. He'll come back and kill you. Please! I'll be OK!"

My father called over his shoulder, "I found Evie, but I don't see the others. Keep looking!" before turning back to me. "Evie, come out of there. It'll be fine."

"No, I…we…we summoned him, and he got out!" I could hardly speak through my terror. "You have to get out of here! He took the others, he could take you too!"

But Dad wasn't having it. "Not without you, Evie. Drop the circle. We'll talk about this later. Do you think I would leave you to the mercy of a demon? I can protect you, now will you please come out of there! Please!" The heartsick look on his face tore my soul. "Come on, Evie, we can fix this. But you have to trust me. If there's a demon around, we'll get you to a church. You know you can't hold a circle against a demon, but they can't cross holy ground. We can make it. I'm not leaving without you!"

I shook my head no.

He kicked at the barrier, frustrated. "Damn it, Evie, if you don't drop this circle, then so help me I will _ground you for a year_!"

I burst into hysterical laughter. Right. I didn't think the threat of _grounding_ would ever work again.

My father was angrier than I'd ever seen him, and pounded a fist on my circle. I jumped as it singed his hand. "_Evelyn Sinclaire, you will drop your circle NOW_!" he roared.

My mouth fell open. My dad- my real dad- knew my real name. And it certainly wasn't _Evelyn_. This man wasn't my father. It was Ash, making an educated guess on my name. "Go to hell," I stammered.

Ash realized the game was up, and his eyes blazed with fury. "You, young lady, are in a _lot_ of trouble," he growled, still looking like my father. "What I did to your friend, I shall visit upon you a hundredfold-"

"Sun's almost up," I panted defiantly. Somehow it was easier to talk back to my dad than to a demon. I had a lot more practice at it.

He switched back to his familiar form. "So it is," he agreed. "I have to say that I'm quite impressed with this whole performance. But, little witch, what I can't win by guile, I can take by force. If I weren't such a lazy son of a bitch, I'd have done this hours ago."


	10. Chapter 10

**Part Nine: The Great Non-Escape**

_**Col. Von Luger:**__ Group Captain Ramsey, in the past four years the Reich has been forced to spend an enormous amount of time, energy, manpower and equipment hunting down prisoner of war officers.  
**Group Capt. Ramsey:**__ At least it's rather nice to know you're wanted, isn't it?_

_- The Great Escape, 1963  
_

Quit fidgeting, I'm almost done. This bit is important.

No, you moron, I didn't defeat him. I didn't trick my way out of it. I didn't outsmart him, and I didn't hold the circle. _I'm fucking lucky to be here_, that's the point! It's a fucking _miracle_ I didn't end up like Greg and the others. They're relentless, and they get what they want, and you can't outsmart them. They invented the art of trickery. They've tricked people for thousands of years. Do you really still think you're come kind of super special snowflake that's so unique that you could be the first hero to win against them in _five thousand_ years? They count on that! They play on it, they use it, they make you think you have a chance, and then…they pounce.

So back to the drama, the part where I get my ass kicked from here to Tuesday:

Ash raised his hands to either side, channeling energy from the line, so much that I could feel my own connection ebb a bit. He continued to do so for a very long moment. I imagined that I could hear screaming, as his witch familiar felt every dreg of it filter through them first. Ash fairly blazed with power, his entire outline blurring as he soaked up enough energy to fry the entire forest. I just sat there and watched helplessly, unsure how to prepare for whatever onslaught he was about to release on me.

"_This circle is mine_," he said in a voice that echoed eerily, and Latin spilled from him in a torrent as he placed both palms on the barrier. They began to blister horribly, and he gritted his teeth, grinding out the final words in a hoarse voice.

So have you been wondering what it felt like, for Greg and the others, to channel a whole line at once? I tell you what, it's not fun. At least I got some warning, had a few seconds to prepare for it, but…yeah. The buzzing in my head grew, became burning, became lightning and thunder, then it was my entire existence.

Maybe it was the fact that I'd had a circle up for hours, and everything was already kind of numb, but throughout the overwhelming sensory overload and agony there was that small thing- that circle and my own connection to the line, to hold on to and focus on. He was taking the circle, forcing all that energy into it. The extra force was frying its way into my synapses, but I was still connected. I focused on the connection. If that broke, my circle would fall.

It hurt, but I strengthened the connection. I opened myself to the line completely.

I know, they tell you never, _ever _do that because spontaneous combustion isn't very fun, and they're right. Don't try it. But I was kinda desperate at that point, and the energy was already flowing toward the line, from Ash to the circle to me and then back out to the line, so it couldn't come back _in_, see? There was nothing else in the world left but that line, and the insane amount of force driving through my soul. Everything else was stripped away. Just the line. And the pain.

Ash wanted to make me surrender to him and drop the line. I surrendered _to_ the line instead. I knew it intimately, after all, with all those nights using it, and each line has its own…flavor? Resonance? Vibe? I kind of tuned myself to it. It's hard to explain, because it was totally instinctive and I don't think I could've done it with an unfamiliar line. I was sitting in it, bathed in it- we'd built the circle on it. It was just somehow the next step to…become it. I mean, I had nothing to lose at that point. Better dead than whatever Ash would do to me, right?

Everything sort of faded after that. My head was still fucked up from the force, but it was sort of flowing smoothly now, like I was a nice clean pipe instead of a clogged one. Dumb metaphor, yeah, so how about, now I was a low-resistance wire instead of a high-resistance one? The force was still there, still raging through me, but it wasn't scraping the inside of my head raw to do it. Still hurt like hell, but I could tell it wasn't going to kill me.

And it died away eventually. Even a demon can't channel _that _much force for very long, no matter how good he and his familiar are. I think all he did he was just snap his connection, but suddenly the force WAS flowing the wrong way, the glade was lit up like a July afternoon, and someone else besides me was shrieking with pain.

I had to do it, then, I had to cut off the line, and snapped the connection quick before I flared up like a beacon and vaporized myself. The circle was gone. I couldn't move. Nothing worked. I opened my eyes to see that everything outside the circle was charred- grass, trees, and Ash, who was sitting up dazedly from clear across the fucking clearing.

Ash was covered with ash. Ha ha ha.

I tried to tap the line again to put the circle back, but the first trickle made me recoil and convulse with pain. I just couldn't do it. My _chi _was fucking burnt out. I wasn't able to tap a line again for months, and even years later I have occasional panic attacks over it. The therapy's helped a lot with that, but if a line feels anything like_ that_ line, I just can't handle it. And worse, even my aura was fucked up. I'd sunburnt my own soul, or something.

Ash healed himself instantly, but didn't immediately get up, staring at me in astonishment. "Damn my dame! How the hell did you manage _that?_!" he croaked.

I couldn't even lift my head, and had forgotten how to speak. Couldn't have anyway- I'd been screaming the entire time and my throat was so raw it felt blistered. There were all sorts of odd sensations zinging through me, and I wondered whether I'd fried any internal organs in this whole fiasco. And I could still feel the line around me, so fucking cold that my bones were turning to frost, and I wondered if Hell would at least be warm. I felt like I'd never be warm again. Yeah, I could see then why too much line made you insane. I almost didn't care that I was about to be kidnapped for a lifetime of magical slavery. At least I'd be warm.

Ash dusted himself off and rose, approaching me cautiously. He stared down, then knelt beside me and gave me a poke with his finger. What felt like an electric shock made us both jump. "Wow," he said, jerking his hand back. "You're still live. Let me give you a hand with that."

I tried to roll away but he pressed a hand on my shoulder gently. The leftover swirly sensations drained away, and my _chi _was drained dry, leaving me numb and shivering. You've done power pulls, right? You know how awful it would feel to have someone you didn't like _pull _you if you didn't want it? It was a horrible, intimate sensation, but it was also rather a relief.

Ash was gleeful as he pulled me onto his lap. Everything hurt and burned at once. Movement was nauseating. I was shuddering violently and tried to twist away, but there was nothing I could do. "You, miss, are a _treasure_!" he crooned. "Fuck Dali, I am _so_ keeping you for myself." He frowned, though, turning my chin to one side, then the other, eyes unfocused as he examined my aura. He swore. "You won't survive a trip through the lines right now, though." He sighed in exasperation, glanced at the sky. "And no time to supplement your aura before the sunrise. A reprieve, then, my little Evie."

I sagged with relief, even as he ran a hand down my side in a far too familiar fashion. He cradled me tenderly, like a lover, and I closed my eyes and let my head fall against his chest. He stank, but he was warm, and I was so exhausted that I could feel unconsciousness fast overtaking me. "Catch your breath," he murmured soothingly, "Rest up, practice those _wonderful_ line skills of yours. I'll find you again, love. Hopefully sooner rather than later, but I'm a patient man. In the meantime…" He smiled sweetly as he cupped my face, then gently drew a finger down my cheek. Pain flared and I whimpered, feeling blood trickling down my face. "Something to remember me by."

The last memory I have of Ash is him putting his bloody finger to his lips, his red alien eyes brimming with avarice and anticipation.

I fell to the ground. Ash was gone. The sun was up.


	11. Chapter 11

**Part Ten: Conclusion**

_"To the last, I grapple with thee. From Hell's heart, I stab at thee. For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee."_  
— _Captain Ahab, Moby Dick (__and Khan, Star Trek II)  
_

I lay there for a long time, unmoving, until the first rays of the sun touched my ruined cheek. But they couldn't warm me. It's been thirty-odd years and the cold has stayed with me in my head all this time. Yeah, I know it's a figment of my imagination, but still…I like it warm. It's why I moved here.

So there you go. Now you know why I went into demonology, learned all that Latin, became such a goddamn expert on ley lines and demons. He's out there, and he's waiting for me. I could cover up the scar he left me, but I don't want to ever, ever forget for an instant that there's a demon on the other side of the lines who's got my number. But at least he doesn't have my name. Nobody does. I made sure my records were lost. Parents are dead now, died during the Turn. At least I don't have to worry about him using them against me.

So he won't find me. But if he does, I'll be damned if I let him get me. See this little charm set into my watch? It's my own invention. Illegal as hell. I call it "The Light Brigade." I wait till he drags me to a line- and he has to, if I don't consent to go willingly- and I set it off. It takes me out, and maybe everyone else within ten feet of the line. Lights up the area like the Fourth of July. If I'm real lucky, the Ever After is short one demon, and the maybe world is a little safer for freedom, democracy, and idiot teenagers everywhere.

Yeah, like you. Now get lost.


	12. Chapter 12

**Epilogue**

Wait, wait, wait, run that by me again?

Red had a kid? Huh. I'll be damned. We moved away a month after the incident. I never heard. I knew he had a girl but I didn't know who it-.

Fuck me sideways, you're his _grandson_? Jesus, kid, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. No, I can't call Ash- I don't know his summoning name. I wouldn't call him up if I could. Weren't you listening? Look, Red being snatched, it wasn't just my fault. It was everyone's fault. And whoever has him, ain't going to let him go, not without something- or someone- even better.

Call me a damned coward all you like, there's nothing that's worth-

Hell. Hell and damnation. Yeah. I'd kinda like to know what happened to them, too. Even if we can't get them back. Closure and all that.

All right. All right, I'll think about it. This is probably the scotch talking. But you'll just do it anyway. I'll think about it. At the very least, I might be able to keep them from carting you off, too.

Come back Tuesday. We'll talk.

And listen, kid. If you tell anyone else what I told you, tell _anyone_ who I am….? I'll have to devour your soul. Ha ha ha.


End file.
